Speed Freaks: Need for Speed Underground is fast, freaky game

By
Autoweek

Dec 7, 2003

Everyone knows the freaks come out at night. Freaky machines with ungodly wings affixed to the rear, coated with an endless assault of stickers and vinyl. Under the carbon fiber hoods lurk impossibly high-revving engines with the NOS juice ready to spray.

Everything’s tight: suspension, shocks, tires. Don’t forget the polished Enkeis. Only the seriously freaky and furiously fast will survive in the Underground, the latest installment of Electronic Arts’ long-running Need for Speed series of no-rules racing games.

Need for Speed Underground celebrates the urban street racing culture, where posing seems almost as important as winning. Before we went underground, we outfitted our stock Mazda RX-7 with aftermarket parts and accessories from more than 50 available real-world manufacturers. Decking out your car helps your reputation. Your rep aids in gaining you points quicker so you can unlock more goods and services.

After we got our RX-7 looking tight, it was time to take to the darkened streetscapes. Several options are available, including drag racing and drifting. But nothing beats screaming through some of the most amazing, originally designed environments and motion effects we’ve ever seen in a driving game. Think Blade Runner at 150 mph. Driving stylishly also aids in increasing your rep. There is a decided arcade action feel, especially when you hit the NOS or smash into an unfortunate motorist and your car flips wildly. But the vehicles also display realistic physics characteristics and respond well to the multitude of modifications you can make.

Need for Speed Underground has a killer soundtrack, and also has online features for the PlayStation2 and PC versions so you can see how you stack up. Beware, the freaks are out there. For PlayStation2, Xbox, Game Cube ($49.99) and PC ($39.99), ea.com

MAKING AN IMPACT: Whoa, doggy! Burnout 2: Point of Impact is one fast, adrenaline-packed blast of a game. We could have done without the mandatory tutorial, but once you get past that, buckle up, because driving like a nutcase is the name of the game. This arcade-style racer awards medals and bonus time for driving on the wrong side of the road, just missing oncoming traffic and pulling off monster drifts in the turns. The action is nonstop, white-knuckle fun, and it features neat crash scenes when you bust up your car in a head-on smashup. There’s not a lot for simulation fans here, but that’s not the point of Point of Impact. For Xbox ($49.99), PlayStation2 and Game Cube ($39.99), acclaim.com

GT4 ON THE TOKYO FLOOR: You’ve found every car, driven every track, unearthed every hidden goodie in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. We know you’re jonesing for more of arguably the greatest driving game series ever. Heck, so are we. Enter GT4, eventually. The latest installment in the series isn’t due to hit U.S. shores until sometime in 2004 (we hear April), but we recently got to demo a version at the Tokyo Motor Show. Thumbs-up so far, Ebert. An awesome-looking Grand Canyon rally course and a New York City circuit were among the handful of tracks available for three-minute runs. The on-track action, overall graphic quality, and especially the latest version of the GT Force driving wheel (designed especially for GT4) all seemed improved over GT3. Even cooler, you could drive cars straight from the Tokyo show floor, including the AutoWeek Best in Show winner, the Honda Sports Concept. For PlayStation2, playstation.com

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